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I am a writer who lives in Melbourne, Australia.

My features, articles and other random outputs have been published in The Age, The Australian, Smith Journal, Dumbo Feather, Marie Claire, Treadlie, Sunday Life, Kill Your Darlings, and more. In November 2017 my non-fiction book, Made to Last: a compendium of artisans, trades and projects, was released by Hardie Grant. So far it has been distributed in more than 10 countries and published in English, German and Mandarin.

I am also an experienced copywriter and editor. In 2014 I launched Big Talk, a boutique writing and editing agency. Big Talk can help you communicate clearly and effectively across a range of formats and media. We work with content agencies, businesses, start-ups and entrepreneurs, not-for-profits, and higher education institutions. We enjoy collaborating, can start from scratch or build on existing content, and always, always get the job done well.

The first item of clothing Rachel Burke ever made from tinsel was a jacket. It wasn't just any jacket. The garment was for Patience Hodgson, the outlandish lead singer of Brisbane band The Grates, to wear on stage at Splendour in the Grass, 2015.

November 2017Made to Last: a compendium of artisans, trades and projects is my first book. Published by Hardie Grant in November 2017, it features 50 artisans from all around the world who are making useful, heirloom quality objects that will stand the test of time. http://bit.ly/2gzNDcT

An illuminating partnership

BBC StoryWorksOctober 2016It was a partnership with a Singaporean bank that brightened life in Myanmar for local families – forever.

Sandar Win, a business woman in Mawlamyine township in Myanmar’s Mon State, warmly invites us into her living room where her husband, mother and a young girl sit on the floor, smiling as we enter.

BBC StoryWorksAugust 2016Halting the advance of a muscle wasting condition called cachexia could improve quality of life for cancer sufferers.

For many years, oncologists and researchers thought the dramatic weight-loss of cancer patients was due to the cancer spreading through and consuming the body, with the loss of appetite and nutritional complications causing the body to waste away. But in fact, it’s cachexia, a severe weight loss and muscle wasting disease often devastatingly present in cancer’s later stages.http://bbc.in/2caVBrp

“After civil war comes conflict resolution processes and peace agreements. But they often fail to establish lasting and sustainable peace, and violence breaks out again. How can we help fractured societies to make more effective peace?”

BBC StoryWorksAugust 2016Finding an alternative to phosphate fertilisers now so we don't face a global food shortage in the future.

Plant a seed, give it plentiful amounts of water and sunlight, and watch it grow. That’s all it needs, isn’t it? Not quite. Many plants, particularly high-yield food crops like rice and wheat also need phosphate-rich soil to flourish.http://bbc.in/2eC11cM

The autism discovery

BBC StoryWorksAugust 2016Research into early detection is helping children thrive.

Up to two per cent of the population is diagnosed with autism and researchers are continually working to uncover new insights and solutions to understand the autism spectrum. But what if the solutions were to encourage children with autism to really thrive in life?

The classic division between in and out of doors falls away in this tranquil north-facing dwelling, where the owners' twin love for Japanese aestheticism and 1950s modernism led the design.

Once a nondescript single-storey yellow brick house, today the new build that straddles this property in a quiet heritage pocket of Melbourne's vibrant inner north has both the grandeur and reclusive hush of a Japanese mountain retreat.

Why co-working with childcare should be the next big thing

KidSpotApril 2016

As I write, I'm having my third session at Melbourne's newest co-working space, Happy Hubbub. It has all the things you might expect from a shared entrepreneurial space: large tables for hot-deskers, loads of power points, wi-fi, meeting rooms, and copious amounts of coffee. But, in a first for Australia, it also has a dedicated short daycare space attached.

Copenhagen is the capital city of Denmark. This one-time fishing village is now a major European city, and home to 1.2 million Danes.

It's the country's art, culture and food capital. It’s also home to the Copenhagen Stock Exchange, and is imbued with a well-to-do air: the locals are friendly, and the streets feel safe – probably because bikes outnumber cars, and cyclists well and truly rule the roads. That makes Copenhagen a wonderful city to follow your nose in, cobblestoned streets and all.